Valerie Rockefeller

Trustee, Chair

In this section

Valerie Rockefeller’s professional background is as a middle school special education teacher for adolescents with learning differences and emotional disabilities. She began her teaching career at Central Park East Secondary School in East Harlem, New York, and also taught in Australia.

Ms. Rockefeller has a M.Ed. in Special Education from Bank Street College of Education and a MAT in secondary Social Studies from Columbia University Teachers College. She majored in International Relations at Stanford University, and worked as a confidential assistant to Secretary Richard Riley at the U.S. Department of Education during the first Clinton administration. She serves as a trustee of the Asian Cultural Council, Columbia University Teachers College, D.C. Preparatory Academy, Greenwich Academy, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. Ms. Rockefeller was a trustee of Spelman College, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Ms. Rockefeller lives with her daughters Percy and Lucy, her son, Davis, and their dog Wrigley in Old Greenwich, Connecticut.

News and updates

One year after announcing the Rockefeller Brothers Fund’s plan to divest from fossil fuels, President Stephen Heintz said its portfolio’s exposure to oil, coal, and tar sands has been reduced from about seven percent at the beginning of 2014 to just over four percent.

In an editorial, Valerie Rockefeller, chair of the Fund and a great-great granddaughter of John D. Rockefeller, explains the RBF’s rationale for joining the global shift toward divesting from fossil fuels and investing in clean energy businesses. RBF President Stephen Heintz and Trustee Justin Rockefeller also discuss the Fund's initial investments and its timeline for divesting.

Last month, the Fund elected Valerie Rockefeller Wayne to chair the Rockefeller Brothers Fund board of trustees. Ms. Wayne is a middle school special education teacher specializing in adolescents with learning differences and emotional disabilities. She first joined the RBF board in 2003. Ms. Wayne succeeds Richard Rockefeller, who had led the Fund since 2006.